Preternatural
by Agnes Acacia
Summary: Penelope and Katerina are hunters hell bent on destroying the evil that plagues our world. They have one rule, avoid the Winchesters at all cost. They've heard the stories. You get involved with the Winchesters, you end up dead. But when their paths cross, how will the sisters fare in the brother's crossfire? -Potential SPN spinoff with much needed badass female characters
1. Prologue

**Then.**

Hamel, IL

Two young girls huddle together in a closet. It is night, and it is cold. Outside of the closet something is screaming. Loud, long, screaming. The kind of screaming that has never been made by a human mouth.

The younger girl clings to the older one, her tears dampening her pajama shirt.

"Shhh," the older one whispers. She is nine years old, with wispy dark hair and a pretty face. "It's okay," she breathes, even though she knows it isn't.

The younger one whimpers and bites her fist, her doll-like face shining with fear. Suddenly a loud thunk sounds on the closet door and the girls both let out strangled cries.

Whatever is outside knows they are in here.

The thumping continues, getting louder and louder with each hit. The wood on the door begins to crack and the older one pushes the younger girl behind her. She reaches around for anything she can find to protect herself and her sister. The little one is screaming now. Loud and strange. The older one grasps an old wire hanger off the floor and grips it tight.

The door shatters.

A shrouded figure bursts in, its arms wide and its face terrible. The older one stands up, the hanger held out front like a sword.

"Get away from us!" she shouts, her voice braver than she feels. The creatures screams its long mournful cry, its mouth and teeth slick with fresh blood. The blood of their parents, the girl realizes in horror. The creature rears back like a cobra, ready to strike. The girl lashes out with the hanger, knowing the weak weapon will do little against this horrible creature. She swings with all of her little girl strength and prepares for the pain of being devoured.

When the hanger connects with the beast's face it lets out another horrible scream and disappears in a cloud of smoke. The girl stands wide eyed in the closet, her hanger still poised for the attack. The figure reforms again, several feet back now, its horrible face contorted in anger. It's scream yet again fills the house. It charges again, but this time the girl knows what to do. She swipes at the creature's face again and it dissolves. It reforms quicker this time and comes at her again, and again, looking for weak spots. The girl cuts at the thing wildly, adrenaline keeping her on her feet.

The thing rears up again and the girl prepares to strike once more, but suddenly a loud burst sounds, like a gunshot, and the monster disappears in another gust of smoke.

Standing behind the beast is a man holding a shotgun. He is a big man, strong,and the girl is not afraid.

The beast reforms and attacks him now. He shoots it again, but the monster is prepared. It ducks the shot and swoops low, knocking the man off his feet, sending the shotgun flying.

"Stay here," the girl screams at the little one who is still huddled behind her. She runs out of the closet and grabs the gun. She's never touched a gun before. She doesn't know how they work. But the beast is descending on the man who is lying helpless on the floor. She points the gun and pulls the trigger.

Nothing happens.

She tries again, but the gun doesn't fire. There aren't any bullets left. She is still holding the wire hanger in her hand so she attacks the beast with it again, stabbing it in the back so it disappears again.

The man looks up and sees the girl standing over him. He looks confused, but grateful.

"The doll," he yells. "Where is it?"  
>At first the girl doesn't know what he's talking about. She stares at him as if he is crazy. But then she remembers. The doll with the white dress and the crossed eyes. She and her sister had found it in the house a few weeks ago when they moved in. Her sister had been <em>sleeping <em>with it. Her eyes go wide at the realization and she takes off down the hall. The man follows closely behind and just before they reach the little girl's room, the beast forms in front of them. The man tries to push the girl out of the way, but the beast makes its move and knocks her to the ground. The man takes out a knife and swipes at the creature. It dodges and they grapple for a few seconds. Meanwhile, the girl crawls into the bedroom and yanks the doll off the bed.

Not knowing what else to do, she bangs the doll's porcelain face against the ground, hoping to smash it. It does nothing except attract the attention of the monster. It turns toward her and lets out another loud scream. The girl screams back, as loud and as long as she can.

"Give me the doll!" the man yells from the hallway.

The girl hurls the doll at the man just as the creature descends on her. She screams as its cold hands clamp down on her, the sharp teeth inches from her face. Then suddenly the creature is burning, the flames devouring its shadowy form in a slow spiral. The girl is not burned by the fire, and soon she is lying on the floor, completely safe. She looks up and the man is standing over the doll, the flames consuming the tattered white dress and porcelain face.

Panting, the girl gets to her feet. She runs toward the hallway, past the man and the burning doll, past the mutilated bodies of her parents, passed the chaos that is now her house and lunges toward the closet where she'd left her sister.

"Penelope!" she cries, reaching in. The little girl's clammy hands grasp at the older girl blindly. The older girl lifts her out, and together they fall to the floor, the older girl murmuring in the little girl's ear. "It's alright," she says, even though she knows it isn't.

The man stands in the hallway watching the doll burn. He can hear the little girls in the other room and he too is comforted by the older girl's murmuring. He bends down and picks up the hanger from the floor. He examines the item that has saved his life. "I'll be damned," he says to himself. "Iron."

Sirens blare from outside the house. He looks to the little girls still huddled by the broken closet. He needs to leave soon. It won't do to be caught inside a ruined house with two dead bodies. He approaches the girls and squats beside them. The older one looks up.

"I believe this belongs to you." He hands her the hanger and stands to leave.

"Wait!" the girl cries, untangling herself from the sobbing toddler. "You can't just leave us here!"

The man pauses and looks at the girl. He's saved countless children in his life, but this is the first time one saved him. He hesitates. She's right, he can't just leave them here.

"They're real, aren't they?" she says, her eyes wide. "Monsters."

He nods. He can't let this little girl be told that what happened tonight was her imagination. He can't do that to her.

"How do I fight them?" she cries. "How do I protect my sister?"

And that does it. Something inside the man breaks as he watches this fiery little girl. She reminds him of another child hell bent on protection the one thing he holds dear. He reaches inside his jacket and pulls out a notebook.

"Here," he says, handing it to her. "This is everything I know about monsters and how to fight them. Don't give it to anyone else, you hear? It's just for you. And if you ever need help, there's a phone number on the front page, okay? You call me and I'll send help."

The girl looks at the book in her hands with wide eyes. "But, don't you need it?" she asks.

The man shrugs. "I'll just make a new one."

The sirens outside are getting louder. It's time for the man to go. He stands up and looks at the girls again. He hopes he never sees them again. He hopes they forget about this night. But one look at the older girl's eyes tells him that she will remember this moment for the rest of her life. He shrugs. There isn't much else he can do. He turns and he leaves.

The older girl watches him walk out before she opens the book. The first page has a phone number as promised. There is also a name.

John Winchester.


	2. Chapter 1

**Now.**

St. Louis, MO

San Winchester sits alone at a bar. It is early evening and the bar has a few customers, but the atmosphere is relatively quiet. He is looking over some files and nursing a beer. He holds up a photograph of a young woman who's gone missing. She's left a trail of dead bodies behind her and Sam suspects she has been possessed by a demon. He studies another photograph showing her dead father and looks for clues.

A tall blonde woman approaches the bar and sits down. She orders a beer and looks around. Spotting Sam, her eyes light up. She slides over and parks herself next to him.

"Come here often?" she asks, a playful smile on her lips.

Sam looks up distractedly, ready to politely say he's not interested., but he does a double take This girl is beautiful. She has long, golden hair that falls her her waist. It is thick and straight and frames her cherry cheeks perfectly. Her eyes are a bright blue and her nose is the kind that turns up in a cute way. Sam begins to sweat.

"Uh, hi," he says lamely.

"Here on business?" she asks, inclining her head toward the open file.

Sam hurriedly closes it. "No- I mean, yeah. It's...complicated." He's off his game. This girl startled him and now he doesn't know how to act. He takes a deep breath. "Yes, I am here for work."

"You a cop?" The girl takes a sip of her beer, her pink lip gloss leaves marks on the bottle.

He answers a moment too late. "Something like that," he says.

The girl gives him a curious look, but says nothing. She sips her beer again.

Sam clears his throat. He is acutely aware of every movement this girl makes. It's been a while since he's felt this kind of attraction before and it scares him. He checks his phone and looks around. Dean is supposed to meet him there in a half hour.

"Waiting for someone?" the girl asks. She is tilting her head toward him.

Sam snorts softly. "My brother," he says.

The girl smiles, catlike and predatory. "Looks like you've got some time to kill."

Her intent is so obvious Sam chokes on his beer. "Look, I'm flattered…" Sam tries. "But…"

"What's the problem?" she asks. "You have a girl back home?"

"No," Sam says. "It's not that."

The girl props her chin on her hand and gives him a sultry gaze. "Well, then," she says. "There's no problem at all."

Sam pulls on the dangling cord to switch on the light of the utility closet as the girl pushes him inside. It is cramped and dark, with cleaning supplies and a mop in the corner. The girl's mouth is sweet and urgent, her tongue flicking around inside his mouth, tasting him. He grips the back of her head and holds her to him, enjoying the feel of her hard body and soft hair. They pull at each other's clothes, and soon they are writhing together under the dim yellow light, their moans muffled by each other's mouths.

When they are finished, the girl stands and begins putting on her clothes. Sam grabs her hand and pulls her to him.

"That was amazing," he says, kissing her. His lips are swollen but he still wants more.

"It really was," she agrees.

Sam begins to laugh. The girl looks at him curiously. "I don't even know your name," he says.

The girl's cat-like grin is back. "It's Penelope."

"Penelope," he says her name like he is tasting it. "I'm Sam," he says, holding out his hand mockingly.

She shakes it and laughs. "Nice to meet you, Sam." The handshake ends in another languid kiss that is only

interrupted when Sam's phone starts ringing.

"It's my brother," Sam says, looking at the phone's caller ID.

"Right on time," Penelope says. She resumes dressing as Sam answers the phone call.

"Yeah," Sam says into the phone. "Yeah, I'm here. Just give me a minute." There is a pause. "No Dean, I didn't forget. Yes. _Yes_. Alright, bye."

Penelope has her back to Sam now and she is pulling on her black slinky tank top when she freezes. She spins around, her face scared. "Dean?" she asks, her eyes wide.

Sam looks up. He is putting his phone back in his pocket and buckling his belt. "Huh?"

Penelope's face is completely changed. Gone is the mischievous cat like smile. In its place is a look so terrified, Sam takes a step back.

"Your brother's name is Dean?"

Sam narrows his eyes. "Yes," he says carefully.

"Sam and Dean…" Penelope says, her eyes wide. "Winchester?"

Sam doesn't answer, but Penelope sees the surprise on his face. That's confirmation enough. She grabs her jacket and runs.

Sam tugs on his shirt and goes after her, but by the time he comes back out to the bar, she's nowhere in sight.

Sam looks around a little more, his head still reeling from the mind blowing sex, not to mention her abrupt exit. She looked so frightened. And she knew who he was.

Dean sits at the bar next to Sam's abandoned paperwork. He looks up as Sam approaches. "You look like you've just been somewhere dirty," Dean says, a saucy smile on his face.

Sam grunts. "Did you see a girl run out of here? Blonde, pretty? Scared."

"Geez, Sammy. It was that bad that she ran away screaming?"

"I'm serious, Dean," Sam says. "Did you see where she went?"

Dean frowns. "I didn't see anyone."

Sam looks around again. He is severely disturbed.

"What happened?" Dean demands, all business now.

"I was with this girl and when she found out we were Winchesters, she bolted out of here like the devil was after her. What I can't figure out is how she knows us. I've never seen her before. And what reason does she have to be afraid of us? The only things that should be afraid of us are…"

"Demons," Dean finishes.

Sam's face goes white.

Dean laughs. "Oh Sammy, again?"

Sam glares. "Shut up, Dean. This isn't funny. We gotta find her."

Dean ignores him. "You sure do have a type, don't you Sam?" He takes a drink of Sam's discarded beer. "Wearwolf, demon, I kind of hope this one's something different so we can add her to your collection."

Sam is visibly angry, but he lets it go. "Did you find anything?" he asks, changing the subject.

Dean laughs and shakes his head as if to clear it. "Here," he tosses some survelilience photos on to the bar top. "She was spotted last night at a bar called The Three Monkeys."

Sam picks up the gritty black and white photos and recognizes the missing woman. "So, what?" Sam asks. "Demon possession? Or something else."

Dean shakes his head. "Let's go find out. She supposed to be there agian tonight. Some kind of karaoke contest."

"Karaoke," Sam snorts. "Demons and Karaoke.." Suddenly Sam freezes as he spies something in the photo he hadn't seen before. Another woman is in the shot. She stands just behind the missing girl, and she is holding a knife in her hand, just barely visible in the grainy picture.

"Dean!" Sam nearly shouts. "That's her! That's the girl. Penelope."

Dean studies the photo. "Well, at least she's hot," is his response.

Sam ignores him. His stomach is sinking. Could this girl really have been a demon? If so, that meant he had to kill her. That thought sends an iron spike through his stomach. He grits his teeth.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Sam and Dean enter the Three Monkeys later that night. It's a dimly lit bar that is crowded and loud. A girl is standing on a small stage singing loud karaoke, her voice lost in the noise of the bar.

"Not really our kind of scene, eh Sammy?" Dean shouts over the noise.

Sam gives a distracted nod. "Let's split up," he says. "See if either of them are in here."

Dean heads to the right of the bar as Sam goes left. Sam searches frantically. Dean gets a drink.

"Jack, neat," he tells the bartender. With his elbow perched on the bar lip, he glances around. He doesn't want the demon to be alerted to their presence so its best to play it cool. Blend in.

He snorts.

Fat chance in this crowd. A group of women all in pink let out a collective squeal as one of their friends takes the stage. Dean shakes his head and sips his drink. He hates places like this.

To his right, a woman approaches the bar. He is vaguely aware of her presence as she orders a vodka water and sits two stools away. There are three girls between the two of them, calling to the bartender for more sweet cocktails and shots named after deserts. Dean snorts again as a girl calls for a slippery nipple.

"Now there's a visual," he says out loud to himself.

As the girls move away after receiving their drinks, Dean notices the woman again. She takes a sizable swallow of her drink before setting it down and turning the glass absently. He watches her hands and even in the dim lighting he sees that her right fist is wrapped in tape, like a boxer. He looks at the rest of her. With what little he can see of her face, he decides that she's pretty. Her hair is long and dark, with thick bangs that frame her face. She is wearing black pants, a black shirt and a black leather jacket. It sets her apart from all the brightly colored females in the bar. Fully interested now, Dean scoots down two seats until he is beside her.

"Hi," he says, his smile in place.

The girl looks up and Dean's smile grows. Her face is even prettier up close. Her eyes are dark and severe, and her nose turns up at the end in a cute way. But the look she is giving him is less than welcoming.

"No," she says.

"No?" Dean is taken aback. He's not used to women turning him down.

"No, I don't need a drink. No, I don't want to dance. No, I'm not interested."

Dean frowns. "Wow," he says. "You really know how to turn a guy down."

She gives him a tight smile and turns back to her drink.

Dean sips his whiskey. He's not sure what to do. Women usually don't give him the cold shoulder like this, and if they do, a casual pick up line usually does the trick. But looking at this girl, he somehow knows his old antics won't work on her.

"I'm Dean," he tries again, feeling silly shouting over the loud bar.

The girl sighs. "I'm not trying to be mean, here. But I'm really not interested in some drooling imbecile fawning over me tonight."

Dean cracks a smile at that. "You seem pretty sure of yourself. I could have just been asking you for the time."

She points to his watch. "I don't think so."

"Maybe I'm just looking for a friend."

She outright laughs at that. "Friend? Like, I haven't heard that one before." She actually looks at him now. Gives him a once over, her eyes narrow appreciatively. "A guy like you? You'd think you'd've come up with something a little more original." She sips at her drink.

Dean grins. "Well in the presence of such a pretty girl, how can you expect a guy to think?"

The girl gives him an "are you serious?" look and shakes her head. Dean laughs.

"Come on. I really am new in town. I don't know many people. I'm just looking for a little company."

The girl looks at him again, gives him another once over before closing her eyes in resolution. "Fine. My name is Katerina. What do you do for living, Dean?"

Dean's smile gets even wider. "I'm a cop," he says. "FBI, actually." He is confident now. The whole FBI stunt usually works like a charm.

Katerina narrows her eyes in disbelief.

"What do you do?" Dean asks before she can question him. Keep her talking, he thinks.

"I'm a stripper," she says flatly.

Dean's eyebrows shoot up. "Is that right?" He can't help the grin spreading over his face.

Katerina rolls her eyes in disgust. "There are two reactions I get from men when I tell them that. The first reaction is discomfort and unease, as if I'm damaged goods. The second is what you just did. I can't decide which is worse." She downs the last of her drink and motions to the bartender for another.

Dean bites his tongue. It doesn't seem like he can win with this girl, but that only makes him want her more. Dimly he remembers that he is supposed to be looking for a demon, but he can't get himself to focus on anything but her.

"What I can't figure out," he says, "is why a girl not interested in having an imbecile drooling over her would come to a place like this. It can't be for the vocal stylings of college chicks."

Katerina snorts. "Maybe I have a thing for loud renditions of Shania Twain."

Dean smiles, triumphant that he got her to laugh. Well at least a partial laugh. He opens his mouth with some charming retort, but just then a car drives by and flashes its headlights into the bar, briefly lighting up her face. He didn't see it before, it was too dark. But in that sudden beam of light Dean can make out bruises on her cheek and around her right eye. His blood runs cold. Without thinking, he reaches out and grips her under the chin. "What happened to your face?" he growls.

The girl's eyes widen and she jerks away. "Hey!" she snaps. "Lay off,"

Dean lets go and puts his hands in the air as if to say 'I surrender.' "I'm sorry, " he says. "But if someone is hurting you, I can help."

Katerina grumbles and digs in her purse. "Great, that's just what I need. A freaking cop trying to save me…" She tossed a twenty on the bar and stands up to leave.

Dean grabs her arm to stop her. "Look, I'm sorry. Don't go."

Katerina shakes her head. "You don't want to get involved."

"Try me," Dean growls back.

She jerks her arm out of his grasp. "I- " She stops mid thought. Her mouth opens slightly and her eyes follow something across the room. "I'll be right back," she says distractedly. And like that, she is gone.

Dean looks behind him, searching for whatever it was that caught her eye. Then he looks for her.

"Damn it." He watches her storm through the bar, her gait focussed and angry. What is she after?

Dean stands up and follows her out the back door. Something about her just isn't right...

0

0

Dean has seen a lot of strange things in his life, but he never expects what he sees when he walks out of the back door of the bar and into a deserted alley.

Katerina and another woman are engaged in a full out battle. And not the kind of hair pulling, nail scratching cat fight he expects. No, Katerina is fighting like a ninja. She roundhouse kicks the other woman in the side, knocking her onto her back, but before Katerina can pounce again, the other woman is back on her feet and ducking out of the way. Katerina attacks again. She is holding two identical silver knives that she flips around from dagger to stabber as she swipes at the other woman's face. The woman lets out a scream as the silver scraps her skin and Dean hears Katerina's satisfied snicker.

The other woman throws her head back. Her back is to Dean so he can't make out her face, but he's been a hunter long enough to know that this is no ordinary woman. Judging by her clawed hands and loud screeching, hed say she is a harpy. She darts forward with a preternatural speed, seeming to actually fly through the air. Katerina falls back under the woman's attack and is slammed to the ground. She doesn't stay there for long, however. Already her knifed hand is piercing the woman's ribs. The woman rolls away and Katerina is back on her feet.

The two women face off once more.

"I told you not to come back here," Dean hears Katerina say. Her voice is cold. Menacing.

"I'm not afraid of you," the woman says back, her voice dripping with venom.

They begin circling each other.

Katerina lets out a low chuckle. "Amanda wasn't afraid of me either," she says. "And look what it got her. A shallow grave on the side of the highway."

The other woman shrieks and attacks again. Katerina spins out of the way and the woman goes flying past. Katerina turns just in time and grabs a handful of the woman's hair. Her head snaps back, revealing her naked throat and Katerina plunges her knife in.

The woman twists away at the last minute sending Katerina's knife flying. A clawed hand snakes out and narrowly misses Katerina's face as she backflips to avoid it. When she lands she sends her other knife flying and it nails the woman right in the chest, thus ending the battle.

Katerina stands over her fallen victim, panting slightly. She squats down and rifles through the dead girl's jacket. Dean chooses that moment to make his presence known.

He steps out of his hiding place in the shadows and starts clapping. Katerina's head snaps up.

"Very impressive," he says.

Katerina stands warily. "Who are you?" she asks, voice low.

Dean laughs. "I think the real question here is, who are you?"

Katerina doesn't hesitate, she darts away. She is fast, but Dean is faster. He's on her before she can get ten feet away. He grabs her by the collar of her leather jacket and spins her toward the wall. Before he can pin her, she brings her elbow up and nails him in the nose. Not wasting any time, she lifts her leg for a hard kick to the groin. Thankfully, she misses, but that doesn't mean Dean's thigh isn't blazing in pain. He doubles over and she wriggles free. He runs after her again, this time throwing his whole weight against her, finally pinning her to the wall.

"Who are you?" he says again. "Huh?"

Katerina stops struggling. His face is inches from hers. She clenches her teeth.

Before he can ask her again, a boot slams into his side, sending him toppling over. He looks up and sees a blond helping Katerina off the ground where she has fallen. Together they begin to run away.

Taking out his gun, Dean points it at their backs and cocks it audibly. "Take one more step and I blow your friggin' brains out." He's bluffing of course, but they don't know that.

They stop, and turn around stiffly.

Dean dabs at his bloodied nose as he stands. "You got me pretty good there, princess," he says. "And you," he says to the blond. "Those heels could kill."

"What do you want?" Katerina says. Her lip is bleeding and Dean suddenly realizes where she must have gotten those bruises.

"I just want to talk," he says.

Katerina glares as the other girl freezes. She's spotted something behind Dean's back. Whatever it is, it's got her scared.

"Dean!" It's Sam's voice. "What the-"

"Over here, Sam," Dean shouts back.

He keeps his eyes on the two girls as he hears Sam's footsteps get closer...and then falter.

Katerina looks back and forth between the two brothers. "Sam….and Dean?" Surprise lights her features. She looks to the blond girl who doesn't share her shock. Her eyes snap back at the boys. "Winchester?"

"You know us?" Dean growls.

The shock leaves Katerina's face and is quickly replaced by anger again. "Who doesn't?" she almost yells. "You're the idiots that opened the gates of hell and let out thousands of demons. You two started the freaking apocalypse-  
>"Kat…" the blond says warningly.<p>

"Then your angel friend closed the doors of heaven, leaving thousands of souls trapped in limbo-"

"Kat!" the blonde girl says again, stronger this time.

"No, Penelope! You know what they've done! How many of these guys's messes have we cleaned up? How many friends have we lost?" She turned to Sam and Dean again. "Ellen, Jo, Bobby, Tara, Rufus, John-"

"John?" Dean asks. Katerina doesn't hear.

"I could go on forever. And you two have the nerve to come into our city and start demanding answers? I don't think so. You two are going to leave. Now. And never come back. St. Louis is protected. You two should keep to your dinky backwoods towns and leave this city to us!"

Penelope begins pulling Kat away. She sends an apologetic look toward Sam who has stopped moving and looks on in horror. Dean glares back at Katerina with as much furiosity as she is sending toward him. Finally Penelope manages to lead the still yelling Katerina away, leaving the two brothers alone in the alley with a dead harpy.


End file.
